A Visual History of Women in Space

"One giant leap for womankind"

By
Jacquelyn Greenfield & Vienna Vernose

Apr 18, 2019

NASA

In 1978, NASA allowed women to enter its astronaut training program for the first time. Four years later, Sally Ride became the first American woman—and the third woman in history—to go to space. In honor of Ride’s birthday today (she would have 68), CR takes a look at some of the phenomenal women in history and their time in space. Click through to take a look.

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1963

Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova became the first and youngest woman to ever launch into orbit at age 26. She was part of the Vostok 6 mission that launched on June 16, 1963. In the '60s, women were unable to be astronauts due to the requisite of practicing as a military pilot, a job unavailable to women at the time. Tereshkova was the first to pave the paths for future women in space.

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NASA

1978

In response to newly implemented anti-discrimination laws, in January 1978, NASA announced its first program of all female astronaut candidates. The group consisted of six women: Shannon W. Lucid, Margaret Rhea Seddon, Kathryn D. Sullivan, Judith A. Resnik, Anna L. Fisher, and Sally K. Ride.

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1983

After earning a degree in English and physics from Stanford, Sally Ride applied to NASA and was chosen from thousands of applicants as one of six women to be part of NASA's first female-led astronaut team. On June 18, 1983, she became the first American woman—and the third woman in history—to go into space, completing her first mission on the space shuttle Challenger.

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1984

By her 25th birthday, Svetlana Savitskaya recorded over 400 parachute jumps, claimed a top spot on the World Aerobatic Championships, and earned an engineering degree from the Moscow Aviation Institute. In 1982, Savitskaya achieved her dream of becoming the second woman in space on the Soyuz T-7 mission in 1982, and in 1984, she became the first woman ever to perform a spacewalk.

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1984

Kathryn D. Sullivan was the first American woman to complete a spacewalk on her STS-41-G mission on October 11, 1984. In 1988, she joined the U.S. Naval Reserve working as an oceanography officer, retiring with the prestigious role of captain in 2006. She currently holds the role as Chief Scientist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, focusing on the conditions and conservation of America's waterways. Here, Sullivan is pictured on a mission with fellow astronaut Ride as they show their design for a sleeping bag.

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1985

A certified cardiovascular surgeon, Chiaki Mukai was the first Japanese woman to fly into space via the STS-65 mission aboard spaceship Columbia on July 8, 1994. The mission focused on a series of medical experiments related to the cardiovascular system. Mukai became the first Japanese citizen to visit space twice.

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1986

After being recruited at age 28, Judith Resnik (left) was crowned the second American woman and the first Jewish woman to ever fly in space. Following her maiden voyage, Resnik and chosen schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe were selected to go to space as part of the Challenger mission in January 28, 1986. Sadly, the shuttle exploded due to a ruptured gas tank just 73 seconds after liftoff. The disaster claimed the lives of all seven members on board, including McAuliffe, who would have been the first teacher in space.

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1992

Along with being a teacher, writer, and a physician, Mae Jemison was also the first African-American women to ever go to space. After studying science at Stanford, Jamison was one of 15 women accepted into NASA's astronaut training program in June 1987, becoming the first African-American woman admitted. Her first mission took place in September 12, 1992.

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1992

After training for a decade, Roberta Bondar became Canada's first female to fly into space on mission STS-42 on January 30, 1992. After retiring from her astronaut career, Bondar led an international team of researchers at NASA to examine data from other missions.

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Frederic ReglainGetty Images

1996

In 1994, France's space agency, CNES, selected six men and one woman—Claudie Haigneré—for its program. Two years later, Haigneré became the first French woman in space as a qualified engineer and emergency pilot on Soyuz TM-24, a Russian-French mission. In 2001, she became the first European woman to visit the International Space Station (ISS).

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1999

In 1979, Eileen Collins became the second woman to graduate from the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot Training Program, where she was selected for the astronaut program. She became NASA's first female pilot on July 23, 1999, going on to hold the prestigious title of Commander on the STS-93 space shuttle mission.

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2001

Serving as second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force, Susan Helms was a weapon separation engineer before she graduated with a master's degree in aeronautics and astronautics from Stanford. Helms became the first woman to join the ISS expedition crew on March 8, 2001 for a five-month-long mission. Helms continues to serve today with a career spanning over 38 years in the U.S. military.

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2007

Sunita Williams holds the record for most spacewalk time for a woman, with a log of around 50 hours and 40 minutes. Williams also became the first person ever to complete a marathon in space in April 2007. She ran in place for over four hours while onboard the Expedition 15 mission while her team members cheered her on and fed her oranges.

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2010

On April 14, 2010, four women—Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger, Stephanie Wilson, Tracy Caldwell Dyson, and Naoko Yamazaki—represented the highest number of women in space at one time when they were aboard the ISS.

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Marina LyssteviaGetty Images

2016

Kathleen Rubins became the 60th woman to fly in space on July 6, 2016, when she was a resident of the ISS for around 115 days. During her stay, she conducted various experiments, most notably becoming the first person to sequence DNA in space.

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